With an academic reputation that is respected across the country, Stanford has the rare opportunity to have a truly national recruiting base. This effect can already be seen in the early stages of the 2010 class, as the coaching staff has secured verbal commitments from recruits from Utah, Texas, Maryland, and California.

Coach Harbaugh and the rest of the staff are certainly hoping this trend continues, as they are in hot pursuit of Evanston (IL) Loyola Academy defensive end Chance Carter. Carter has been on the Stanford radar for quite awhile, but was still surprised when the offer came.

"I got the offer from Stanford in the second week of October," Carter told CardinalReport. "I really had no clue they were going to offer me, and when my coach told me I was shocked. I didn't even know that they thought that highly of me."

While it seemed that the offer came out of the blue, that did not stop Carter's family from being quite excited about the opportunity that Stanford presents.

"When I got offered, I was just so shocked that I didn't know what to think of it," Chance said. "My mom was actually really happy because of the academics and the successful business men they produce at the school."

Since his offer, Chance has had a terrific opportunity to speak with many of the key coaches on the Stanford staff.

"My main recruiting coach is coach (Tim) Drevno, and I have a good relationship with him," Cater said. "I'm also trying to build a relationship with Coach (D.J.) Durkin since he is the position coach. I talked to Coach Harbaugh a few times when he offered me, and I've talked to him quite a bit since then."

Carter recently had the chance to see the Stanford campus in person, as he was a member of the recent Junior day. It's fair to say that he was quite impressed by the visit.

"When I got there, it was so nice driving in and seeing Palm Drive and then you see the Church right there, and it was nice to see all that," Carter said. "All of the buildings on the campus looked so nice and seemed state-of-the-art."

However, it wasn't just the campus that helped make Stanford stand out for Chance.

"The moment that really stood out for me was when I got to go out with the football players and got to know them," Chance said. "I got to hear about their goals as both a student and a football player."

Heading into his visit, Chance had a final three of Stanford, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin. Did his trip to Stanford do anything to change that?

"My favorites would probably be Notre Dame and Stanford because of the academics and how prestigious they are," Carter offered.

This will obviously be a very difficult choice to make, but Carter has a really good idea of what he is focusing on and what will help him make his decision.

"Academics are number one for me," Chance told CardinalReport. "The coaches and the players and how the chemistry is with them are important. Third is the campus life, and the students, and what their goals are, and if they are similar people to me so that I can be comfortable at the school I pick for four or five years."

Carter insists that distance will play no part in his decision sine he has family in California. He also hopes to make his decision in the very near future.

"I would probably say in the next couple of weeks," Chance said. "Probably by the end of March or early April I will make my decision."